As is well known, a family of compounds, known collectively as "organophosphates" are poisonous to animals by virtue of attacking the nervous system of animals. A number of these compounds are used in conventional insecticides and others, which are highly toxic, such as Soman, Tabun and Sarin, have potential as military nerve agents. Yet other of these compounds are industrial chemicals.
Low dosages in animals of the organophosphate animal poisonous nerve agents may be successfully treated by conventional therapies, especially the less toxic members of the family of compounds, but higher dosages, especially of the more toxic members of the family of compounds, most often prove fatal to animals. In these latter cases, the usual therapy for these nerve agents is that of atropine, which is administered after exposure to the nerve agent. Atropine has some mitigating effects, but is mainly useful in preventing death only where the amount of nerve agent received does not substantially exceed the lethal dose thereof. When a substantial excess of a lethal dose is received, atropine is essentially ineffective in preventing death. Additionally, atropine has dangerous side-effects, and indiscriminate use thereof, e.g., in anticipation of a nerve agent exposure, could produce very serious results, including death, even if the nerve agent exposure does not occur.
Accordingly, it would be of substantial benefit to provide a method for treatment of animals, especially humans, exposed to, or subject to exposure to, organophosphate animal poisonous nerve agents, i.e., both a prophylaxis and a therapy for nerve agent exposure.